Two strong threads of interest weave through Sally Fox's life as an innovator: a passion for natural fibers and textiles, and an equally passionate commitment to protecting and preserving the environment. It was the coming together of these two interests that led her to develop Fox Fibre®, the first commercially spinnable, naturally colored cotton.

Mike Augspurger is an expert cyclist, a skilled machinist, and a designer and builder of bicycles. Augspurger, founder of One-Off Titanium, Inc., is a specialist in custom and unusual titanium frame bicycles, including the first all-terrain handcycle designed for wheelchair athletes.

As the head of Girl Tech, Dr. Janese Swanson develops products and services that encourage girls to use new technologies, such as the Internet. Her mission is to help change society's perceptions of girls and girls' perceptions of themselves.

Patsy Sherman was one of the few women chemists to work for a major corporation when she was hired by 3M in 1952. She and her colleauge Sam Smith, as well as 3M, patented Scotchgard®, the popular rain and stain repellent for textiles.

Inspired by the way African mothers carried their babies in fabric slings tied to their backs, former Peace Corps nurse Ann Moore developed the Snugli and Weego soft baby carriers and other kinds of specialized carrying cases.

Industrial designer David Gittens turned his dreams into reality by designing an improved gyroplane, an aircraft with a rotor powered by wind. The Gyro 2000 Ikenga 530Z is now part of the National Air and Space Museum's collections.

Astrophysicist George Carruthers got his start building a telescope when he was ten years old. Eventually, astronauts used his invention to take ultraviolet pictures of Earth from space for the first time.

A chemist testing new synthetic polymers at DuPont in the 1960s, Stephanie Kwolek discovered a substance that weighs very little but is strong and stiff beyond anyone's imagination. A few years later, her invention—Kevlar®—is used to make bullet-resistant vests and helmets, saving thousands of lives.